As a church AV team, your mission is to create an immersive and engaging atmosphere for every worship experience. One of the key ways to achieve this is by ensuring that the worship leader, band members, and choir can hear themselves and each other clearly during live performances.

Stage monitors (particularly wedge monitors) are essential in making this happen. By properly positioning and tuning these monitors, you not only ensure clear communication for your team but also prevent feedback and maintain sound quality across the entire performance space. 

What Are Wedge Monitors?

Wedge monitors, also known as floor wedges, are loudspeakers placed on the stage to provide audio feedback to performers. Unlike traditional speakers, which project sound into the audience, wedge monitors face the worship band, allowing them to hear themselves and each other clearly. This setup helps performers avoid relying on the main sound system.

Wedge monitors come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from smaller personal monitors to larger ones used by the entire band. Each type serves a different purpose depending on the performer’s needs:

• Vocal Monitors: These are designed to deliver clear vocals for singers, allowing them to hear their voice alongside the rest of the performance.
• Floor Monitors: Larger and more powerful, these monitors are used for band members, including guitarists, drummers, and keyboardists, to hear their instruments and the overall mix of the performance.
• Personal Monitors: Smaller and more portable, these monitors offer individualized sound control, giving musicians the flexibility to adjust their mix as needed.

In a worship setting, the placement of wedge monitors is important for several reasons:

• Helps singers stay on pitch and musicians stay in time.
• Prevents feedback loops into microphones.
• Keeps stage volume controlled, preventing the main front-of-house mix from being overwhelmed.
• Preserves sightlines and aesthetics in the sanctuary.

Key Questions Your Church Sound Team Should Ask

Before setting up your wedges, there are several questions to ask to make sure the setup is tailored to the performers and the environment:

• Which performers need a wedge and where? Identify who needs monitoring: the lead vocalist, backup singers, instrumentalists, or the choir director.
• What kind of vocal microphones are the performers using? The type of mic (cardioid mic, supercardioid, etc.) affects wedge placement and feedback risk.
• What is the stage layout and elevation? Consider the height of the stage, the amount of room in front of the performers, and where your cables will run.
• What is the wedge’s aim and orientation? Are the wedges pointed at the performers’ ears or head? Incorrect aiming can lead to ineffective monitoring and wasted sound.
• What is the mix level on stage? Too loud and you risk bleed into the house mains, making the front-of-house mix muddy.
• How is feedback being managed? Proper placement, EQ, and microphone orientation are all key to controlling feedback.

Best Practices for Wedge Monitor Positioning

When setting up wedge monitors, the goal is to place them in a way that allows performers to hear their mix clearly without distortion or feedback. Below are some helpful tips for effective positioning:

1. Positioning for Different Roles

The placement of wedge monitors will vary based on the role of each performer. Understanding the specific needs of worship leaders, band members, and vocalists will help you achieve the best sound.

Worship Leader and Vocalist Positioning

For worship leaders and lead vocalists, it’s important to position the wedge monitor at the right angle so they can hear themselves clearly over the instruments. Start by placing the wedge about 3-5 feet in front of the performer or position the performer about 3-5 feet behind the wedge. This offers a good balance between clarity and volume.

• Too far back: Wedges placed too far from the performer can lose clarity and require higher volume, which can increase stage bleed and unwanted noise.
• Too close: Placing wedges too close to a performer’s microphone increases the risk of feedback.

Position the monitor slightly off-center, facing the performer from the floor. This allows the worship leader to maintain visual contact with the congregation.

Band Members

For instrumentalists like guitarists and keyboard players, position the floor wedges so that performers can hear both their instruments and the overall band mix. For guitarists, place the monitor near the guitar amp to help balance the sound. Ensure the monitor is directed towards the performer but not too close to interfere with the guitar amp’s sound.

Tip: Consider the use of wedge screens for band members to avoid sound interference between instruments and monitors.

Choir and Large Groups

For larger worship teams like choirs, multiple wedges may be needed to ensure all performers have adequate coverage. In larger stages, consider using a mix of vocal monitors and floor monitors to distribute sound evenly across the performers.

Tip: Place monitors near the middle of the group, angling them to cover the entire choir. For larger groups, personal monitors or in-ear monitors can help balance the sound and minimize stage volume.

2. Avoiding Feedback Loops

Feedback is a common issue when positioning floor wedge monitors. The goal is to create a balanced sound mix that allows performers to hear their monitors clearly without feeding back into the microphones. Here’s how to reduce feedback:

Monitor Angle

The angle of your wedge monitor is crucial in preventing feedback. Wedges should be angled so that the high-frequency axis (the “sweet spot”) faces the performer’s ears or head height. On-axis placement provides maximum clarity, while off-axis placement can reduce volume and sound quality.

Monitor Placement Relative to Microphones

Keep the monitors as far away as possible from microphones to avoid creating a feedback loop. If a vocalist’s mic is too close to the wedge, sound from the monitor will be picked up by the mic, causing feedback.

Tip: Position the vocal mic at a 45-degree angle to the monitor to avoid direct sound contact and minimize feedback.

Use of Ambient Mics

On larger stages, ambient microphones can pick up stage sound, which can lead to unwanted feedback. Position your monitors with this in mind, placing them where ambient mics won’t pick up their direct sound. Using a cardioid microphone pattern, which isolates sound from the front, can also help prevent feedback.

3. Positioning for Stage Volume Control

In a worship environment, controlling stage volume is crucial for maintaining sound clarity and preventing the front-of-house mix from being overwhelmed. When placing monitors on the floor, the goal is to minimize high volume levels while providing a more controlled sound environment.

Monitor Level Control

Set wedge levels just high enough for the performer to hear their mix. Over-driving the wedges leads to higher stage SPL (sound pressure level), which can cause sound bleed into the front-of-house system and make the environment unnecessarily noisy.

Tip: Use high-pass filters on wedges. Many monitors benefit from less low-end if the mains system is already handling the bass. High-pass filters reduce excessive energy on stage without affecting the performer’s mix.

Small Venues

In smaller churches, monitor placement is generally simpler. A single wedge for each performer should be sufficient. However, it’s even more important to keep the stage volume low and the monitor mix balanced. Smaller venues benefit from reduced sound projection into the congregation, which can prevent distortion or feedback.

Medium and Large Venues

Larger churches require more strategic monitor placement. Multiple monitors may be needed to ensure each performer has adequate coverage. Consider the stage layout and the specific needs of each performer. For instance, a guitarist may require a slightly higher volume in their wedge compared to a keyboard player. The key is to prevent excessive stage volume that could bleed into the house mix.

Tip: In larger settings, try utilizing a silent stage system, where performers use in-ear monitors or personal monitoring systems. This helps reduce stage volume, cutting down on potential feedback and giving sound engineers more control over the house mix.

4. Adjusting the Monitor Mix

The monitor mix is as important as the physical placement of the wedges. It’s essential that each performer hears a clear and balanced mix of what they need. This is achieved by adjusting the monitor’s loudspeaker settings through the mixing console.

Monitor Mix for Different Performers

Each performer will need a different monitor mix. For example, a guitarist may need more of their own instrument in their mix, while the lead vocalist might need more vocals.

Tip: Work closely with the sound engineer to adjust these mixes, making sure the right amount of each instrument is fed into the monitors. Pay special attention to vocals, as they often need to be louder than instruments for singers to stay in pitch.

Communication Between AV Tech and Performers

During soundchecks and rehearsals, maintain an open dialogue with the performers about their preferences. Some may want more drums or bass in their monitor mix, while others might need more guitar or vocals.

Tip: Use a mixing console to make these adjustments in real time, and be ready to adapt during live performances if feedback issues arise or the mix needs tweaking.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Despite careful planning, some common problems can arise when positioning and using wedges:

• Wedge aimed too high or too low: If the wedge beam misses the performer’s ear height, you’ll need more volume, which reduces clarity and sound quality.
• Microphone pointed directly at the wedge: If the mic is aligned directly with the wedge, feedback will occur quickly. Keep the wedge behind or to the side of the mic’s null area.
• Stage clutter: Avoid wedges and cables interfering with foot traffic or obstructing views. This is particularly important in larger venues.
• Too many wedges around one performer: Using too many wedges can increase stage SPL, making it harder to control the mix. Use the minimum number of wedges needed.

Checklist for Proper Wedge Monitor Setup for Your Church AV Team

To help ensure the proper setup for wedge monitors, use the following checklist before the service or rehearsal:

1. Identify each performer who needs a wedge (vocals, instruments, worship leader).
2. Note microphone polar patterns and placements.
3. Place each wedge 3-5 feet in front of the performer, considering stage height.
4. Aim each wedge so its high-frequency axis hits the performer’s ear height.
5. Route cables cleanly and away from foot traffic.
6. Ensure wedges don’t block sightlines for the audience.
7. Set monitor aux sends to pre-fader for independent control.
8. Perform the “ring-out” procedure: raise wedge level while the vocalist/musician operates; identify feedback frequency; cut with EQ.
9. Adjust monitor levels to the minimum comfortable listening level for the performer.
10. Re-check mic-to-wedge orientation (mic should not be pointing at the wedge).
11. During rehearsal, walk through the stage to make sure each performer hears what they need without excessive volume or bleed.

Upgrade Your Church Sound System with AVGear’s Speakers

At AVGear, we are your #1 source for new and used wedge speakers. Whether you’re looking to upgrade or save on equipment, we offer high-quality new and used gear at great prices. Plus, we make it easy for churches to sell their used AV equipment for cash or trade in old gear for credit toward the latest technology. 

For expert advice, high-quality equipment, and the best deals on new and used gear, contact our team. We are here to help you create the perfect sound experience for your church.